“I strongly support the Second Amendment,” Mr. Cain told me in a recent interview. “In the Declaration of Independence​, where it says we are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are — you hear the part that among these? — life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

The businessman went on to say that, “among these means, there are some more unalienable rights. And I happen to believe that one of those other unalienable rights is the right to protect yourself, protect your family, protect your property, and that’s why we have the Second Amendment.”